Social media feeds emerge as new retail shelf for consumer brands

Consumer brands across beauty, jewellery and travel are increasingly using creator-led ecosystems and social commerce to drive discovery, engagement and direct sales

With rapid digitalisation reshaping consumer behaviour, social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are emerging as full-fledged commerce engines rather than mere engagement channels. From beauty and personal care to innerwear and luggage, brands are increasingly leaning on creator-led ecosystems as direct drivers of growth and sales.

 

This shift reflects a broader change in consumer purchasing patterns. Consumers no longer rely solely on traditional advertising or store discovery, they increasingly find products through reels, creator reviews, and affiliate links — compressing the shopping journey into just a few clicks.

 

Industry executives say the rise of social commerce has fundamentally altered how brands are built in India. Retail consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG) said retail and fast-moving consumer goods brands realise that influencers do far more than build awareness. “They actually close the sale for a large set of consumers,” said Parul Bajaj, India leader, marketing, sales and pricing practice, BCG.

 

According to BCG research, over 60 per cent of Indian consumers are exposed to creator content today, and more than 30 per cent say such content influences their purchase decisions. The firm estimates creators already influence $350 billion to $400 billion in consumer spending in India, a figure expected to cross $1 trillion by 2030. The consultancy added that nearly 70 per cent of brands plan to scale creator budgets by 1.5x to 3x over the next few years.

 

For Mumbai-based personal care brand The Skin Diet Company, social media has become the primary engine for customer conversion. Harshita Rai Khetan, founder of The Skin Diet Company, said 65-70 per cent of new customer acquisition currently comes from these platforms, either directly or through creator content.

 

“Social media is not just a marketing channel; it is where product education, discovery, and validation all happen in real time. Skincare is inherently visual and experiential. Seeing textures, application, before-and-afters, and real routines through creators builds a level of trust that traditional channels simply cannot replicate,” Khetan said.

 

The company now allocates 25-30 per cent of its marketing budget to digital channels, prioritising micro and mid-tier creators over celebrity endorsements to drive deeper engagement around skincare education and routines. However, offline conversions generate 1.5x to 2x higher basket values and stronger repeat purchases for the company. The Skin Diet Company estimates that 75-80 per cent of its revenue will be directly or indirectly influenced by social media.

 

Innerwear brand Pinq Polka is seeing a similar trend. Founder Manveen Ssharma said social media has become the “primary discovery and trial space for consumers”. “Creators are no longer just promoters but trusted channels of conversion,” she said, adding that 70 per cent of consumers discover new brands through social platforms.

 

Pinq Polka expects 50-60 per cent of its revenue to come through its direct-to-consumer website, powered by creator-led and performance-driven content, over the next two years. The company sees creator-led commerce as a long-term shift, though it believes artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content and platform saturation will make consumer trust even more valuable. While social media drives most product discovery, offline retail remains critical for conversion, particularly in categories that require touch and trial. Consumers often engage repeatedly with online content before making a purchase.

 

Bengaluru-headquartered travel and luggage brand Escape Plan is also repositioning its social media strategy from campaign-led marketing to community-led engagement. Abhinav Pathak, chief executive officer and cofounder, said social media increasingly influences discovery and consideration, while offline stores often complete the conversion cycle. “We see it more as a combined journey rather than online versus offline. Social builds intent, and offline often closes that loop,” Pathak said.

 

Jewellery brands are also sharpening their social-first playbooks. Shantiswarup Panda, head of marketing and visual merchandising at Indriya, said the company embedded social media into its brand-building strategy from launch.

 

“Creators, actors, sportspersons, and people from various walks of life drive both inspiration and aspiration,” Panda said, adding that the creator ecosystem has helped Indriya build salience and preference among younger consumers. He described social media as a “long-term strategy” for the company, adding that even with AI-led content creation, affinity towards real people and authentic storytelling would remain intact. Indriya said it is already the third most-followed Indian jewellery brand on social media and continues to invest heavily in both creator-led and non-creator-led content formats to deepen engagement.

 

Beauty brand Renée Cosmetics is similarly betting on social commerce to drive its next phase of growth. Ashutosh Valani, cofounder, said consumers are increasingly discovering and evaluating beauty products through creator credibility and educational content. “The larger industry conversation today has clearly moved towards skincare science, creator credibility, and smarter distribution strategies that recognise Tier-II and Tier-III India as growth engines,” Valani said. Renée said its revenue grew from ₹200 crore in 2024 to nearly ₹350 crore in 2025, with the company targeting ₹450 crore in 2026, driven partly by digital ecosystems and creator-led commerce.

 

The rise of social-first brands is also reshaping how investors evaluate consumer businesses. Venture capital firms tracking the consumer sector said organic social traction is increasingly emerging as an indicator of product-market fit and scalable growth.

 

Adarsh Menon, partner at Fireside Ventures, said investors are increasingly backing creator-led brands showing rapid organic traction over traditional distribution metrics. “Organic social traction is now one of the most credible early signals a brand can show,” Menon said. “The investment thesis is essentially: can we pour fuel on a fire that’s already burning, rather than try to start one.”

 

According to Menon, social-first brands often operate with significantly lower customer acquisition costs than legacy consumer companies because creator-led discovery generates organic engagement and repeat visibility. However, he cautioned that virality alone is not a sustainable moat. Menon warned that brands dependent on platforms such as Meta remain vulnerable to algorithm changes, while weak fulfilment and customer service can hinder scale.

 

Fireside Ventures believes the next phase of growth in the creator economy will likely be driven by micro and niche creators rather than celebrity influencers, as brands increasingly prioritise authentic engagement and conversion efficiency over sheer reach. At the same time, BCG cautioned that brands overly focused on transactions risk missing the larger brand-building impact of creator ecosystems. 

Reels to checkout

• Rise of social commerce has fundamentally altered how brands are built in India
• Influencers close the sale for a large set of consumers, a fact that has not escaped retail and FMCG brands
• Over 60% of consumers are exposed to creator content, and more than 30% say such content influences their buying choices
• Nearly 70% of brands plan to scale creator budgets by 1.5x to 3x